Sohalia
Sohalia grinned at her friend, tickled to have a reason to spend more time with him. "We can definitely keep doing lessons," she assured him. "Maybe next time, we can try a different place. Maybe Torchline? I've never been there before." But she was getting ahead of herself. "But for now, I'd say you've earned a rest." It was true. He'd done well, and she was proud of him.The view from the inside of the goggles wasn't that different from the view without them, albeit a little darker than Soh was used to. "Well, if you're sure..." she said hesitantly, trying hard (and failing) not to betray her excitement, to give Tal time to change his mind. When he didn't, she untied herself from the rope connecting them and eased back into the water, shivering slightly at the sudden chill. "I'll be right back! Hold onto this?" And she handed him the longer rope - the one that would let her find her way back.
She dove back into the river and swam strongly to the bottom, where she found more ringing algae. She tried to retrace their steps as best she could, but it was tricky; it took a few moments to find the cavern entrance, and she grinned as she slipped back inside. Sure enough, the cavern got darker, but Soh's vision didn't dim, and after a few moments of swimming through the inky blackness of the caves, she saw them: golden scales gleaming in the darkness, belonging to giant fish larger than her thigh. Soh gasped with delight, wishing they would wake up and swirl around her, wondering what it would be like to be caught up in their underwater dance.
Then she remembered that Tal was waiting for her, so she made her way back out of the cave and followed the rope back to him. "Wow!" she exclaimed almost as soon as she broke the surface. "Those are incredible! And those fish! Have you ever seen anything so big?" She clambered from the water to flop on the ground beside her friend. She removed the goggles carefully, almost reverently, and handed them back to Tal. "Thanks for letting me borrow them," she added, flashing a brilliant smile. It was certainly an experience she wouldn't forget any time soon!
it's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going
